As the
remnants of my hymn book were only fit for throwing away, my school report book
took on more importance. It didn’t matter that the Christmas exams had been
disastrous; that report book held memories of happier times and I wanted to
take it with me. My enquiries led me to the office area.
‘We’ll
send it on to you,’ said a lady who clearly wasn’t interested. If she’d
bothered to look at me when she said it I might have believed her.
On
Wednesday March 25th 1970 Upbury Manor broke up for the Easter
holiday. On that same day, quietly and without fuss, I left. At the upper
school gate that afternoon Paul and John turned around to see what I was doing
when I held back.
‘In
two strides I won’t be a schoolboy anymore,’ I said.
Though
I didn’t have a hymn book or a report, I stepped over the invisible line with
friends, laughter and a thousand memories. It wasn’t a bad way to go.
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